When I was 10-years-old, another student was caught with narcotics and he blamed it on me. At the time I was really trying my best to learn English, and really be a good kid. Students and teachers seeing me get handcuffed brought a bad image of me.

The If Project started when I asked the question, ‘If there was something somebody could have said or done to change the path that led you here, what would it have been?’ And the number one answer was no positive adult role model.

When I first got locked up my daughter was in high school. I missed her prom, her graduation, her first day of college. It hurts to know she has to put money on the phone for me to call her, and I’m the mother.

You go into juvenile hall and you learn stuff, stuff that a nine-year-old isn’t supposed to learn. You learn how to manipulate. You really learn how to lie. You really learn all these bad things that later come in handy when you hit the joint and you’re exposed to older inmates.